The United States has approved the largest ever military aid package for Taiwan. It will amount to $11.1 billion, and the decision itself is considered the most ambitious in the history of US-Taiwanese relations.
Points of attention
- The United States has approved the largest ever military aid package for Taiwan, totaling $11.1 billion, to bolster the island's defense capabilities.
- The military aid package includes various weapons and equipment necessary for Taiwan's defense against external threats, especially from China, which claims Taiwan.
- The decision reflects the US commitment to supporting Taiwan in maintaining sufficient self-defense capabilities and deterring aggressive intentions, as part of the historical US-Taiwanese relations.
Taiwan to receive $11.1 billion in military aid from the US
This is the second arms deal for Taiwan approved since President Donald Trump came to power in Washington.
The arms are being provided to the island amid increasing military and diplomatic pressure from China.
As part of the package, Taiwan will be provided with a number of types of weapons, including:
HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems;
artillery;
Javelin anti-tank missiles;
the latest Altius drones;
equipment, ammunition and spare parts for other military equipment.
The deal still needs to pass the US Congressional approval stage. The Pentagon has already said that the supplies are in the "national, economic and security interests of the United States."
For Taiwan, supplies will be crucial to maintaining the island's defense capabilities. Taiwan's defense is based on an asymmetric model of warfare — the use of mobile, inexpensive, and effective attack systems.
The United States continues to assist Taiwan in maintaining sufficient self-defense capabilities, rapidly building a strong deterrent force, and utilizing the advantages of asymmetric warfare, which forms the basis for maintaining regional peace and stability, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense officially announced.
At the same time, the provision of US military aid remains one of the biggest factors of tension between Washington and Beijing. China claims Taiwan, while the US task is to prevent the Chinese from occupying the island, as Washington has obligations to Taipei, although it does not officially recognize Taiwan.
